February 15, 2004The cost of living hereBy MATTHEW WAITEAs an investment over the past five years, you couldn't have done much better than bay area real estate, where values have skyrocketed. Home sweet home no easy findBy BILL VARIAN,CARRIE JOHNSON and MATTHEW WAITEHome buyers must take compromise to heart in the booming Tampa Bay area market. It turns out $150,000 doesn't go far as it used to.

South PinellasNeighborhood ripe for change a good gambleBy CURTIS KRUEGER ST. PETERSBURG - Kathy Young spent $59,000 for a two-story, three-bedroom house because she liked its hardwood floors and its location in St. Petersburg's Historic Kenwood neighborhood just north of downtown.Priced out of their marketsBy CARRIE JOHNSONST. PETERSBURG: A steep jump in prices has left many in the working class with little chance at home ownership.Appreciation with a caveatBy JON WILSONThe median value rose to $74,500 in Highland Oaks, although less when a dozen new homes are removed from the picture.In Seminole, real cows to cash cowsBy MARY JANE PARKA city that has doubled in land and population since 2000 bids adieu to the under-$100,000 abode.Roots aplenty in DriftwoodBy WAVENEY ANN MOOREDream of joining this weirdly wonderful 49-home burg? Unless you're a bat, you're probably in for a wait. The elusive starter homeBy ANNE LINDBERGMany buyers who are almost squeezed out of the market look for a find in Pinellas Park, Lealman and Kenneth City.What $100K feels likeBy SHARON L. BONDGateway and Euclid Heights aren't highfalutin, and that's just fine with longtime residents and younger newcomers.Brisk sales at land's endBy WAVENEY ANN MOOREGreater Pinellas Point has been a buyer's, and seller's, market. Residents and Realtors say perks include more bang for the buck and a harmonic vibe. Must be something in the saltwaterBy MAUREEN BYRNE AHERNBeach real estate has gone bonkers, as evidenced by cottages for not-so-quaint prices, a stream of million-dollar condos and the sought-after teardown.Turnover centralBy DONNA WINCHESTER and JON WILSONDisston Heights and Central Oak Park, high, dry and affordable, have been a real estate broker's dream come true.Modest gains in Childs ParkBy JON WILSONHome prices inch up and contracts stack up in a neighborhood where a third of the residents live in poverty.Now that's richBy WAVENEY ANN MOORE and DONNA WINCHESTERMillion-dollar teardowns and a tsunami of appreciation: Bayshore? Boca? No, St. Petersburg, on the waterfront.

PascoFebruary 15, 2004Buying into Pasco's bargainsBy JAMES THORNERHomeowners are yielding large gains, but prices are still more affordable than in some nearby counties.

HernandoFebruary 15, 2004Hernando's hidden secretBy JENNIFER LIBERTOA nationwide demand for waterfront property and the opening of the Suncoast Parkway bring more buyers to Hernando Beach, which doesn't have a beach but is laced with man-made canals.Wise buyers 'lucky,' content with beachfront homeBy ROBERT KINGEven though property prices have skyrocketed in Hernando Beach, they are still some of the most affordable.

CitrusFebruary 15, 2004Going up: land valuesBy AMY WIMMER SCHWARBReal estate prices continue to rise, particularly for homes on the water or a golf course or those with several acres.